Electronic devices often include housings that enclose some or all of the sensitive and/or delicate components of the electronic device. Such housings may have multiple mating parts that are clipped, glued, bonded, or otherwise affixed to one another to form the housing and to enclose electronic components within the housing.
Traditionally, plastic has been used for electronic device housings, at least in part because it is easy to form into the complex shapes and geometries required for modern electronic devices. Increasingly, however, housings for electronic devices are being made from materials other than plastic. For example, housings that include glass, ceramics, and the like are being used for their superior strength, optical properties, and aesthetic properties. However, such materials present drawbacks of their own. For example, small retaining features for coupling housing components together (e.g., clips, arms, detents, grooves) may be relatively simple to mold into a plastic piece, but may be difficult or impossible to form out of glasses and ceramics.